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Aventure dans la mer de corail (Tina comic)/plot
The two part comic strip is a fairly faithful adaptation of the original Johns novel. For convenience, both parts are described here. The section headings do not occur in the comic strip. They are only inserted here to make comparison with the original book easier. The corresponding chapters of the original book are given in brackets. A Sign from the Past (Chapter I) The preamble to the mission is depicted in great detail, occupying all of 13 pages but even so, some details had to be left out. All the "atmosphere" is included--Worrals landing a Spitfire in bad weather, her needing a cup of tea, and her banter with Squadron Leader Marcus Yorke. The discovery of the canoe and the messages sent by the nine British servicewomen is depicted as is the sighting of their boat heading southeast by an aircraft flying government records out of Singapore (but it is a fighter and doesn't look like a plane of B.O.A.C. The sighting by the Dutch tanker is ommited, as is the report of Sister Worton. Meet Billy Maguire (Chapter II) Another 13 pages is used to depict Worrals, and Frecks in Darwin, their discussions with Dan Lynch and Billy Maguire. All the important details are included although there is no mention that they have three weeks to the "wet" (monsoon) but Billy does warn them about "scalies" (écailleux in French). Ingles Island (Chapter III) Another 9 pages are spent depicting the exploration of Ingles Island. All the essential scene setting elements are drawn: crabs, Ingles' hut, sharks, and, of course, the crocodile. "One Aircraft Failed to Return" (Chapter IV) The first search and the rescue of Harry Timms is depicted faithfully. Even the inconsequential scene of them encountering flak over an island is drawn. Much of the dialogue with Harry is faithfully repeated in the speech bubbles but abbreviated. He even makes quips like the fact that he has been doing nothing and has a lot of time to do it in. However he does not mention his background from Hammersmith and, of course, there is no way to render "eggsactly" in French nor R.A.F. slang like "ladybirds". The back story about his mission to Bali is not mentioned, nor how he flew the plane himself after Tuke died. He doesn't ask Worrals for a haircut. A Visit and a Visitor (Chapter V) In common with most Tina adaptations, scenes of direct violence are not drawn explicitly. The Japanese floatplane does land, and there is a gun battle. Worrals shoots, runs out of ammo and then Harry sinks the plane, only he is using (more appropriately) a Bren gun and not a Sten. There is no mention of one survivor running off into the mangrove and a scream. Here it appears that the entire crew has been dealt with, Worrals just wonders if the plane got off an S.O.S. Oko and Maital (Chapter VI and VII) The meeting with Oko is depicted faithfully as is the canoe journey to Maital (compressed into two pictures). The discussion with Rama Pindra is covered in great detail. The massacre is not drawn explicitly. Japanese troops are not showm, only a scene of villagers running into the jungle. No dead bodies are shown. Oko is merely described as being amongst the dead. Rama offers to accompany Worrals back in the canoe and they bump into the Tamaroa as in the original. A Stab in the Back (Chapter VIII) From here on the story continues in the next album, Quand vient la mousson. Frecks and Harry find their base burnt but the explanation is different since there was no mention of a surviving Japanese crewman running into the mangroves. Harry theorises that the floatplane must have succeeded in sending out a message. A rescue plane came to look for it, found the base, and burnt it. The scenes involving refuelling from the Beaufighter and the arrival of the Tamaroa is faithfully depicted but there is no mention of exactly how much fuel they managed to scavenge. Frecks Has a Busy Day (Chapter IX) Frecks picks up Pam's hat as in the original and they see the Tamaroa and the canoe. They pick Worrals and Rama Pindra up. Frecks isn't overcome by nervous exhaustion or about to pass out. She merely tells Worrals that luck was with them and they proceed to discuss the finding of Pam's hat. In Action (Chpater X) At Oko's island they plan the next step while Harry and Rama repair the damage to the plane. There is a slight difference here: Worrals reasons that since the Japanese had destroyed their base, the Japanese wouldn't think they would continue using it. So she could merely send a signal asking for more fuel. Dan Lynch would know where to send it to, The search for the Tamaroa and the silent landing on the far side of the island where the ship is takes place like in the original. Worrals Takes a Prisoner (Chapter XI) The tedious crossing of the island is depicted faithfully. They do not discover the Tamaroa gone. Instead they come across the Japanese about to massacre a group of villagers and the two Dutch planters. The battle scene is simplified. Again, scenes of troops being shot are not drawn. Instead, Worrals tells Harry to cut off the escape of the sailors to the ship. Japanese troops are shown diving to the ground under the hail of Harry's bullets but no one is actually hit. Neither Harry nor Rama rush forward wanting to kill General Samurai, nor does Jan Vandergroot grab a rifle and try to do the same. The general submits quite tamely. Pam is brought ashore and the party departs for the Scud. The general is brought along as a hostage until halfway, just as in the original. Pam Tells Her Tale (Chapter XII) On the way back to Ingles Island, they are intercepted by a Zero. Worrals lands the Scud and Harry shoots the Zero down, just like in the original, but there's no mention of Worrals wanting to recommend him for a D.F.M. The Walrus arrives but, as drawn, it looks nothing like a Walrus, and in fact isn't even a marine aircraft. How could it have landed? Anyway, it is shot down and Worrals and Frecks rescue Jimmy Crane. High Speed Sortie (Chapter XIII) The flight to Pam's island is faithfully depicted. All the key events are captured: overflying the Tamaroa, Frecks' warning that the ship is landing a boatload of sailors, Worrals and Harry shooting up the boat and then the Tamaroa itself with her 20 mm cannon. Harry is wounded but there is no mention that his turret has been shot up. Finale (Chapters XIV and XV) The remaining girls are picked up and taken to Ingles Island. They ties down the Scud and hide inside the cabin to ride out the storm. There is no mention of another supply aircraft which fails to find the island in the bad weather or Worrals firing flares. The story moves directly to them being spotted by a Mitsubishi bomber, The arrival of the Annie and Billy Maguire's story is accurately depicted. The Scud is refuelled and they begin dumping the dugong oil. The Mitsubishi returns with three other aircraft (here it is not stated explicitly that they are dive bombers). The Annie is sunk. The rest of the story ends more quickly than in the original. The overloaded Scud takes off and heads back for Darwin. There is no mention of what happens after arrival, except for Worrals telling Frecks that, most of all, she wants a cup of tea. Category:Plot summaries (derivative works)